Coulter takes on libertarian ‘pussies’ at International Students for Liberty Conference

Thursday’s episode of “Stossel” on the Fox Business Network featured a taped portion of a debate between libertarian host John Stossel and conservative columnist Ann Coulter on war, drugs and same-sex marriage at the International Students for Liberty Conference held last weekend in Washington, D.C.

On war, Coulter, the author of “Mugged,” made the case that there are times when unleashing the U.S. military accomplishes one of the few roles that government was intended to fulfill.

“I’m for Iraq and against Afghanistan, but to explain that in a way that I think libertarians should appreciate,” she said. “There’s one thing the federal government should be doing, maybe two — regulate interstate commerce and protect us from enemies. And the Republican Party tradition is we should intervene, go to war, do whatever it is foreign policy-related when it makes America safer.”

Coulter also explained that it was her belief that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was dangerous enough to warrant military intervention because the then-Iraqi dictator was looking to help terrorists attack the U.S.

Coulter also said that the libertarian focus on ending the drug war “is why people think libertarians are pussies.”

“Libertarians and pot — first of all … this is why people think libertarians are pussies,” Coulter said. “We’re living in a country that is 70-percent socialist. The government takes 60 percent of your money. They are taking care of your health care, of your pensions. They’re telling you who you can hire, what the regulations will be. And you want to suck up to your little liberal friends and say, ‘Oh, but we want to legalize pot.’ You know, if you were a little more manly, you would tell the liberals what your position on employment discrimination is. How about that? … It’s always ‘We want to legalize pot.'”

Later in a question and answer session, Coulter elaborated on why exactly she is against drug legalization.

“[I]t is my business when we are living in a welfare state,” she said. “You get rid of the welfare state, then we’ll talk about drug legalization but right now I have to pay for — oh it turns out coming down the pike, your health care. I’ve got to pay your unemployment when you can’t hold a job. I have to pay for your food, for your housing. Yeah, it’s my business.”